Lady Luck was not on Hergie Bacyadan's side in Cambodia.
The Philippine athlete was on a roll in the women's 65kg vovinam competition during the 32nd Southeast Asian (SEA) Games. Bacyadan, who uses the pronouns he/him, entered the finals and faced Vietnam for the gold medal on May 8.
But time ran out and the decision was made—through drawing of lots. Bacyadan lost.
"Nabigla lang 'din ako. Ano 'to?" he recalled to One Sports' Jaime Ascalon.
"Nagbunutan kami, bakit bola? 'Di naman dapat..." Bacyadan trailed off before shrugging. "Siguro wala naman din akong mahihirit pa kundi 'yun talaga eh."
He had a stellar start, beating Thailand in the semifinals, earning cheers after each successful hit. Bacyadan was so good in the Vietnamese traditional martial arts, that officials of other countries asked to take a photo with him, as reported by One Sports' Belle Gregorio.
This gold medal match in the 65kg division between the Philippines' Bacyadan and Vietnam's Thi Thao Ngan Bui was a long time coming. They both suffered the same fate in the 2021 SEA Games, when their weight divisions were pulled out due to having not enough athletes.
Bacyadan, who was used to competing in the 70-75kg boxing and wushu competitions, had to burn down 15 kilos of weight in two months.
"He died in training and starved himself from cravings para makuha ang target weight niya nang hindi nako-compromise ang stamina and endurance niya," Bacyadan's partner Lady Denily Digo shared on Facebook.
"Maraming nagulat sa biglang paglusaw ng katawan ni Hergie, losing more than 15 kilograms in two months requires sacrifice, discipline, and dedication," she boasted.
It seemingly took a toll in the gold medal match. Bacyadan found himself down, 2-5, with less than two minutes remaining in the third and final round.
The coaching staff, led by taekwondo Olympian Donnie Geisler, cheered Bacyadan to step up. The third round ended with a draw, at 5-5.
With no clear winner, the Philippines and Vietnam were given an extra minute to compete. Even delegates from Laos, Myanmmar, Thailand, and Indonesia were watching at the sidelines.
Vietnam came up ahead. Point to Bui, 6-5.
But Bacyadan would not have it. The taller athlete delivered a combo—left kick on the chest, a right punch on the face, and another, and another. The referee had to break them up.
Point to Bacyadan, 6-6. And time ran out once again. What now?
"Actually, nag-eexpect ako ng isang round pa. Nire-request ko kina coach na one round pa kasi napapasok ko na siya," Bacyadan recalled to Ascalon. "'Yun yung time ko, 'yung chance ko na maka-score, makarami ng points sa kanya."
Philippine officials wanted another round of extra time. Vietnamese officials didn't.
The sports authorities decided, they'll draw lots instead.
Bacyadan drew first, then the Vietnamese opponent. And the Filipino's face fell when he unfurled the paper. His opponent jumped for joy and hugged the Philippine athlete.
Bacyadan turned to his coaches and opened both his hands. He stared again at the piece of paper that decided his fate. A draw, his own hand, and luck concluded that long journey to the finals.
"Nadismaya kasi kitang-kita naman na talagang panalo na 'ko," he recalled.
"'Yun ang problema, hindi para sakin," Bacyadan added, trying to laugh. "Last SEA Games, 'di binigay sa'kin. Ngayon ulit."
He gave the paper back, bowed to the officials, and held out his hand to the opponent. Past 6:00 p.m., when the referee raised the Vietnamese athlete's hand, Bacyadan nodded in acceptance and hugged her.
"Kung ako naman dapat talaga ang karapat-dapat doon, nakuha ko dapat," he mused.
But his coaches refused to take it. By 6:30 p.m., Randy Caluag, also a member of the coaching staff, was squatting as he wrote a letter of appeal. The awarding ceremonies were delayed as officials mulled on what happened.
Two hours later, Bacyadan was still there in the arena. Alone in the bleachers, waiting.
It took 24 hours before Cambodian officials held the awarding ceremonies. The decision stayed. The Philippines will be taking home the silver.
Bacyadan managed to smile as he bit the silver medal.
"Medyo sabihin nating nakaka-disappoint 'yung nangyari, pero wala naman tayong choice," Bacyadan told One Sports on May 9.
"At least ito, totoo," he said, lifting his silver medal, "White gold kung tawagin."
Bacyadan managed to find, well, a silver lining, for his troubles.
"At least kahit papaano, nakapag-compete pa rin tayo. 'Yun ang importante dun. At the same time, nakakuha tayo ng medal. Okay na 'ko doon," he said.
He also pointed to his miraculous achievement of making weight as another milestone.
"Pagkuha ko ng timbang, panalo na 'ko eh," the fighter added.
Bacyadan did not have Lady Luck on his side in Cambodia, but he will be returning to his Lady in the Philippines.
"'Di ko rin inexpect na makukuha ko 'yung timbang ko na 'yun. So dun pa lang daw, panalo na ko sa kanya," Bacyadan added.
(With reports from Jaime Ascalon, One Sports)
(GM)